High, Friend streets up for discussion

Thursday

Nov 29, 2007 at 2:00 AM

KENNEBUNK — A group of concerned residents met at Kennebunk Town Hall Nov. 20 to discuss proposed changes to High and Friend streets that Town Manager Barry Tibbetts said he hoped would make the area "look nicer and function better."

Hannah Hussey

KENNEBUNK — A group of concerned residents met at Kennebunk Town Hall Nov. 20 to discuss proposed changes to High and Friend streets that Town Manager Barry Tibbetts said he hoped would make the area "look nicer and function better."

According to Tibbetts, change is needed to address problems with traffic flow, pedestrian safety, and parking on the two streets. The town's goal, he said, is to solve these issues without negatively impacting nearby residents and business owners.

Tibbetts presented two plans that had been developed prior to the meeting. One involved making both Friend Street and part of High Street one-way; the other left Friend Street as a two-way street but still changed a section of High Street to one-way. Currently, both streets are two-way.

In either scenario, Tibbetts said, the town would install a traffic light at the intersection of Friend Street and Route 1 to improve traffic flow. Some at the meeting worried that this could cause cars to back up along Friend Street, but Tibbetts said that the traffic light could be set on a timer that would minimize this.

Most of those who spoke at the meeting acknowledged that the current design of the two streets needs improvement.

"It is a miracle that there have been no accidents there," said Betsy Macdonald, a resident of High Street.

The plan that fostered the most interest, though, was one that was not formally presented. By the end of the meeting, residents were expressing their approval of a plan to have both streets remain two-way but limit parking to one side of High Street, create curbed sidewalks, and install a new stoplight and other traffic signals.

Tibbetts said he would try to have the plan formalized and bring it back to the residents at a later date.

Director of Public Works Mike Claus discussed the financial aspect of implementing any new plan.

"You have to remember that this is a state highway," he said. "We're doing something that the state should be doing, but we're doing it because the state isn't going to do it."

There is a possibility, according to Claus, that the state of Maine will provide some money, but he said that it is certainly not guaranteed.

"We're going to need your support at budget time," he told attendees of the meeting.

Tibbetts agreed that the town should take action now, estimating that it could be 10 years before the state decides to make any improvements.

"To wait for the state is going to be very problematic," he said.

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